A Night in the Life

10:52pm

“Hey mommy…..hey mommy” I’m gathering the trash before heading to bed, but I hear that familiar call. I drop the bag on the floor next to the trash can and head into the room as quickly and quietly as I can. The goal is to get Sean to lay down as quickly as possible. Success! He just needed a blanket and for me to have a hand on his head this time. I head out of the room and finish the evening chores.

11:30pm

I slip into bed as quietly as I can so as not to wake the other 4 currently sleeping humans.

12:37am

“Hey mommy” My heart sinks and I hope for a moment that maybe Sean will fall asleep on his own this time. Wishful thinking on my part.

“Hey mommy….hey mommy, ahhhhhh” At this point, I leap out of bed, and try as hard as I can to bring his agitation down so he can get back to sleep. But, alas, it’s a lost cause at this point. “Sweaty hands!” he cries, a telltale sign he’ll be up and screaming for a while. I know I need Tim’s help, as Elena will be up soon, so I call for backup. Tim takes Sean out, and I can hear his little feet pounding the floor, and his screaming piercing through the door through the hallway that separates the living room and our bedroom.

Sleep seems futile, but somehow I drift off. Tim later lets me know he only made it back to bed at 2:00am. He got some work in during the middle of the night, a survival tactic for the time being.

3:30am

Elena wakes up and wants to nurse. She finishes and thankfully goes back to sleep well. I dive back into bed.

5:25am

“Hey mommy”….ugh, here we go again! I speak to Sean in as soothing a voice as I can muster, still shaking out the sleep. But he’s agitated again and I know he won’t go back to bed. I try to keep him in his bed at least until his okay to wake clock goes off, but he climbs out and slides into bed next to Tim. I know this can’t become the pattern, but I just can’t deal. A minute later, the okay to wake clock glows green, and he happily climbs out of bed, as Tim tries to keep Sean from waking Seth and Elena.

5:50am

Elena calls out “mama.” I sigh deep within my bones and try to get her before she dumps out the bin of my running clothes she can reach from her crib. I forgot to push it further back before I went to bed. But I make it in time. She nurses and starts to climb off the bed. She likes walking out of the room now. I hand her off to Tim and head back for my last few minutes of sleep before the day begins.